Summer Camp
by Diary
Summary: AU. First in series. After Santos's death, Justin meets Austin in summer camp. Complete. Edited slightly.


Disclaimer: I do not own Ugly Betty.

Author's Note: This will be a series.

* * *

"I will drag you if I have to."

Justin rolls his eyes. "Aunt Betty, I'm almost taller than you. I'm not going to camp for another day."

"Justin," she begs, "please. It's arts and crafts. You like arts and crafts."

"I don't like painting rocks and making macaroni necklaces."

Sighing, Betty kneels down in front of the open door. "Justin, what are you going to do at home? Watch TV all day? Your mom is going through a really rough time. I know that you're getting older and more independent, but you're not old enough to explore the city by yourself. What if you need something and Hilda doesn't answer the phone and Amanda refuses to get me? Grandpa isn't here."

He sighs. "Why can't he be here? Why did Dad leave, again?"

"Oh, honey," Betty sighs, reaching out to put her hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry you have to go through all this. I know it's tough and confusing, but I promise, Grandpa will be home soon. And when you're older, you're going to understand death better."

"What's to understand? He was there that morning, and then, you and Mom cried and told him that he'd never be here again. It's what he always did, only now, it's not just me and Mom he's let down."

"Justin-"

"Excuse, ma'am?"

They both look over, seeing a police officer and a gangly, auburn-haired boy. As the officer talks to Betty, Justin finds himself looking at the boy and wondering what colour his eyes are.

"Yes, it is," Betty says, placing her hand on Justin's shoulder. "My nephew, Justin, is enrolled. Maybe he could show your son around?"

The other boy studies her briefly before going back to look at Justin. "Are you being bribed, too?"

"Sort of," Justin answers, ignoring his aunt's protests. "She brings me office supplies and fabrics to assuage her guilt."

"Baseball tickets and an extra bowl of ice-cream at night," the boy answers as he walks over and offers his hand. He grins, revealing a nice smile. "Austin Fitzgerald. My mom left for Washington, and Dad doesn't have anyone to keep me from hanging off bridges. They have fairies underneath there, you know. I'm going to get a picture one day."

"Interesting," Justin says, politely, using Austin's hand to help himself out of the car. "My mom's going through a tough time, and my grandpa's in Mexico. I think the fact I've never hung off a bridge should proof I'm not a danger to myself," he says, pointedly, as he looks at Betty.

"It's not that," Betty starts, only for Officer Fitzgerald to put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not my place, but I think we both need to accept that my boy and your nephew are just going to resent us until they get old enough to understand why we need to do this."

Austin sighs and startles Justin by casually putting an arm around his shoulders. "Can I, at least, have ten dollars so that we can have ice-cream instead of whatever mutant jello they serve?"

"Oh, I have money," Betty says, hurriedly going to dig her purse out of the car.

"The ice-cream isn't any better," Justin informs Austin, wiggling out of his hold and reaching out to stop her. "It's runny, and all they give you is a small cup."

"I promise I'll remember to buy some yogurt," Betty says, miserably.

Guilt hitting him, Justin squeezes her arm. "It's fine, A.B.," he says. "Go before you're late. Officer Fitzgerald, I'll show Austin around."

After both boys are hugged and have exchanged 'I love yous' with their aunt and father, Justin leads Austin away. "So," he says, once he's sure the cars have left, "if you don't mind, what exactly does your mom leaving for Washington mean?"

"They divorced a while ago," Austin answers, "but she was still living with us. A friend in Washington helped her get a job and offered to be her roommate until she could afford her own place. I don't understand exactly what she does; it has to do with security and computers."

"Oh," Justin says.

"So, are you afraid of me asking about your family, or do you want me to?"

Looking over, Justin can't help but scowl.

Shrugging, Austin says, "You can tell me whatever you want, or not. Why does your aunt bring you fabrics?"

…

Inside, while they slide popcorn on strings, Justin tells Austin all about Mode, his idols, and the importance of fashion. When he stops, he realises Austin has actually been patiently listening the whole time.

"Cool," Austin says. "I mean, I don't understand half of that, but Audrey Hepburn was a fashion icon."

"You know who Audrey Hepburn is?"

"Yeah," Austin answers. "The Children's Hour is my favourite of hers."

"Awesome," Justin answers. "Mine is Funny Face."

"Why's it surprising I know who she is?"

"Besides the people in my drama class, I've never met anyone our age that does."

"Oh, you're in drama? Is it a school thing? I like acting, and Dad's been trying to find a class for me, but I don't think he'd let me transfer schools. Actually, I'm not sure I'd want to."

"Can't you start one at your school? That's what I did."

…

At lunch, they do halfsies on their sandwiches.

"My dad died," he blurts out. Before Austin can respond, he says, "And don't say you're sorry. Can I tell you something?"

All traces of a smile gone, Austin nods, looking at him with dead seriousness. "You can trust me."

Sighing, Justin looks down. "He left when my mom told him she was pregnant. Then, he came back, and they were going to get married. But he went to buy me a present from a convenience store and saved the cashier from a robber."

"Oh," Austin says.

There's silence, and then, he says, "I am, you know. Sorry."

"Yeah; sorry about your mom," Justin says.

"Do you live with your aunt?"

"My mom and I both do," Justin answers. "Our grandpa, too, but right now, he has business in Mexico."

"Oh, what does he do?"

"He's a cook, but he's over there because of a problem with his green card."

"That sucks," Austin says, sympathetically.

"Yeah, well," Justin mutters. "Hey, tell me how you managed to hang from a bridge without killing yourself?"

That causes another grin. "Well, I was, like, six. But the safety divider? I was small enough to squeeze through it. So, I did. I got past it, managed to wrap my legs around it from that side, and then, I just hung down. My mom had gotten me a disposable camera, and I wanted pictures of fairies."

"Fairies don't exist," Justin says, trying to get a mental image of a little kid doing that. Once he does, it makes him shiver, his stomach revolting in fear. "How are you not still grounded?"

"Yes, they do," Austin argues. "Have you seen-"

"Let me guess, you still believe in Santa, too?"

"And? My dad's a patrol officer. One Christmas, he had a call, and my mom went to pick up a friend from the airport. They were both gone all night, but when I woke up, Santa had come. How do you explain that?"

Justin shrugs, dropping the subject.

…

They spend the rest of the day talking as they're forced to paint rocks and glue leafs to paper.

"Austin," one of the aides says, "your father just called; he said to tell you to take a cab to the library. He isn't sure when he'll be able to pick you up, but he'll have Officer," she looks down, "Nelson pick you up if he can't be there by eight."

"Okay," Austin easily agrees.

Justin is left feeling awkward. "Uh, is- everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah," Austin says, looking at him, surprised. "Don't worry. Dad's either helping with a murder or a rape- I mean, he's helping deal with a case involving one of those. He always makes sure I have enough money for a cab, and the people at the library know me. They give free hot chocolate with marshmallows. If Dad can't come home until late, Sara- Officer Nelson, will pick me up and get me some food before taking me home. We live in a really safe neighbourhood, and Dad's civilian car is always there when he's gone."

Justin thinks about his own house, where the laundry and boxes of his dad's stuff is everywhere and their diet for weeks has been fast food, packed lunches, and cereal. He wishes he could invite Austin over, but his mom is still holed up in her room, only paying attention when he comes to kiss her good morning and night. Aunt Betty usually falls asleep in front of the TV as soon as they've gotten through eating.

"Do you want me to call my aunt and go to the library with you? I can wait until Officer Nelson comes."

"You don't-"

"I'm not asking if I need to," Justin interrupts. "I'm asking if you'd like that. I wouldn't mind."

"Really," Austin asks, and Justin can tell he's trying not to sound too hopeful.

"Sure," he agrees.

…

"Hey, kiddo," Betty says, kissing him. "Hi, Austin. Are you both doing okay?"

They both nod, Austin telling her, "My ride will be here any minute." To Justin he says, "Thanks for talking to me all day. I thought I'd end up sitting by myself and wishing the clock would stop going so slow."

"That's been my life recently," Justin tells him. "You have some strange ideas, but you're pretty cool."

"And I still think you-"

"No," Justin says, firmly.

His day with Austin has revealed the other boy's belief in: the government using vampires to go after people, vampires being apparently computer savvy to track their enemies by tracing emails, and the existence of fairies, pixies, goblins, ghosts, and aliens. Witches, Bigfoot, and the Great Pumpkin are all suspect but not to be discounted completely. However, Atlantis and legends surrounding the Bermuda triangle are fake. Other revelations have been that Austin is a good actor and fun scene partner, he can't sing but does okay with dancing, and he loves going to art museums.

Also, Austin wanted to do some experiments to see if Justin is fully human, but Justin has utterly refused all begging, bribing, and attempts at bets that would allow Austin to win and do so.

"Well, you're pretty cool, too."

Then, he surprises Justin by hugging him. Aside from his family, Justin isn't used to being hugged, but he carefully returns it, realising how nice it feels.

Once the hug is broken, Austin looks out the window. "There's Officer Nelson," he says, pointing to a woman getting out of a squad car. "It was nice to meet you, Miss Suarez."

"Call me Betty," she says. "We'll wait here for a minute."

…

After they get home, Justin goes to his mom's room.

"Hey, baby," she says, blearily, reaching out for him.

"Hey, Mom," he says, lying down next to her. "Are you doing any better?"

"I keep thinking I'll get a call, and it'll all be some mistake."

Unsure how to answer, he tells her, "I made a friend today. His name's Austin."

"Oh? What's he like?"

"He's nice. Has some crazy beliefs, but he loves acting. And baseball," he adds, remembering the rant about how goblins were responsible for some World Series failure. He tried to listen, but somewhere along the explanation of how bases worked, he realised he just didn't care to even try to understand.

"Does he go to your school?"

"No, but I gave him suggestions on how to start a drama club at his."

"Good."

"Yeah," he says, quietly, wishing she'd say more than that. "I'm going to go to the bathroom and get ready for bed. Do you need anything?"

"No. Thank you, sweetheart."

…

When he gets back, he hears his aunt's voice and stops.

"Do you think you might be ready to come back?"

"No," his mom answers. He leans against the wall, sighing quietly. "But I need to, don't I?"

"I know this is hard for you," Aunt Betty says, quietly.

"But Santos is gone," his mom answers, "and my son- Justin needs me. He told me about his new friend. I've promised him that it was me and him."

"Hilda, Justin understands how hard this is. You've needed some time. But maybe it's time to come back, now. None of us are okay at the moment."

"Yeah," his mom agrees.

Closing his eyes, he tells himself not to cry. He didn't cry much when he was told about his dad, and he didn't cry at all when he was told Grandpa had to stay in Mexico.

Now, after all the time of wondering if his mom is ever going to come out, it sounds like she finally will.

Taking a deep breath, he almost knocks on the door, but her next words stop him. "So, tell me about this Austin boy."

"He seemed nice. Cute kid. Justin will be able to tell you more than I could."

Smiling, he knocks on the door, going inside.

…

"My mom came out of her room," Justin says the next day. "She's going to start trying to set up her salon. I might not have to come here anymore."

Austin smiles and hands him a pair of scissors. "Good for you. I'm glad she's doing better."

"I feel bad about leaving you."

"I'll be fine. To tell the truth, I was planning on bailing yesterday."

"I've been thinking about it, too," Justin confesses. "I've thought about going to Mode."

"Why don't we? You take me to Mode, and then, we'll separate."

"Why can't I go with you?"

"I'm probably going to go to a batting cage or to shoot some hoops at the park."

"So? I don't think there are going to be any actors at Mode this week."

"I just want to see you in your element."

"Well, I want to see you in yours," Justin retorts.

"Alright," Austin agrees. "So, what's the plan?"

…

It turns out to be surprisingly easy to break out of the camp, and they decide to go to the batting cage and park, first.

Austin, he can tell, is good. He easily makes hoops or baskets or whatever it's called when a person gets the ball through the circle. He can hit balls and catch them.

However, after Austin gets a bloody nose, he forbids him from trying to throw the baseball anymore.

"You're all sweaty," he protests, wiggling away when Austin tries to put an arm over his shoulders. "Have you ever played soccer?"

"A few times," Austin answers, taking a drink of water.

"I played until a few years ago. Mostly, I ran around the field in the opposite direction of the ball."

Laughing, Austin looks over at him, and it strikes Justin that he looks just like a kid actor who is cast as the boy next door. "Ready to go to Mode?"

…

"Oh, man," Austin mutters, grabbing Justin's arm.

"What, they're just cops," Justin says, studying the two men in the lobby.

"No," Austin answers. "They're not. They're my dad's-"

"Justin!"

As he tries to get his bearings, he realises his aunt is hugging and scolding him. Catching sight of Austin, now with the officers on either side, he wonders how they're going to get out of this trouble.

…

Later, after they've been shoved into the cafeteria and told not to leave except to go to the bathroom, Justin says, "I can't help but feel I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for your dad being such a worrier."

"If we'd gone with my original plan, you might have."

"Oh, so, this is my fault."

"If the shoe fits," Austin says, smirking.

Justin elbows him.

Finally, Betty and the police come back. "Justin, go help Marc. Austin, uh, your dad has enlisted you to help my sister. Um, I'm sorry?"

"No problem," Austin says, reaching over to hug Justin. "I'll talk to you, later?"

"Totally," Justin agrees.

…

"Well, I tried punishing him, but he's too cheerful and helpful," his mom announces when they get home. "Austin, do you want some more ice-cream? Honey, what about you?"

As she shows Betty all they've gotten done, Justin sits to eat ice-cream with Austin. "Thanks for helping her. Uh, sorry, my family used your punishment to get free labour?"

It's something he'd heard his aunt fussing about.

"I don't mind," Austin says, sounding honest. "Your mom's really cool. And it was nice doing something important instead of making stupid arts and crafts all day."

"Okay, Justin, Austin," his mom says, appearing, "I probably shouldn't let you, but do you want to watch TV until your daddy comes?"

"That'd be great, Miss Suarez."

"Hilda," his mom corrects.

…

Justin is dozing when the doorbell wakes him.

Austin, however, is in a deeper sleep and doesn't react. Justin starts kicking his ankle as his mom answers the door.

"But it's ten," his mom says, loudly, causing Austin to jolt awake. "I don't think him being leaving at this hour is a good idea."

"Unh," Austin mutters, swiping at his face. He gets up and goes to the door, Justin following. "Hey," he yawns, "Officer Nelson. Dad alright?"

"Fine," she answers. "He's still working on the Koontz case."

"It's fine, Aunt Hilda," Austin says as his shoes. "I'm used to it."

"What if he stayed here for the night? You or Officer Fitzgerald wouldn't have to worry about getting him breakfast, and he can do some more work until his dad comes to get him. Austin, honey, would you like that?"

Austin looks over at Justin, and Justin reaches over to tug on his sleeve, nodding.

…

"Grandpa!"

"Mijo," his grandfather says, enveloping him in a hug.

"Are you back for good?"

"Yes, I am," he promises. Then, he notices Austin, hanging back. "Who's this?"

"Oh, Grandpa," he says, breaking the hug and going over to drag Austin over, "this is Austin Fitzgerald. He's my friend, and he's helping Mom with the salon. It's supposed to be a punishment, but honestly, his dad sucks at punishments. He's going to love your food."

"Hi, Mr Suarez," Austin says, shyer than usual.

His grandfather hugs Austin, making Justin incredibly proud and reminding him of how great his granddad really is. "It's always nice to meet a friend of my grandson's. Now, how did you end up working in my daughter's salon?"

…

The rest of the summer suddenly goes by so fast, Justin working at Mode, Austin helping with Hilda, and Austin occasionally spending the night.

A week before school, they're lying in bed, and Austin says, "Hey, I didn't want to say anything to the others before I talked to you, but my dad's taking the week off. He wants to take the three of us on a fishing trip and have you over for dinner."

"A fishing trip?"

"You can bring magazines, and we'll bring a chamber pot."

"Gross."

"It's either that or-"

"Me not going."

"This means a lot to my dad," Austin says, quietly.

"Fine, but we're not exploring caves or making a UFP signal and I'm not touching any worms or fish."

Austin moves closer to him, throwing an arm across his chest. "UF0," he corrects. "Thank you."

"Do you think he'll like me?"

He's met Officer Fitzgerald twice, aside from the day at camp. Once lasted about five seconds, and the other time, the officer spent more time talking to the other adults than he did his son and Justin.

"He already does. He just wants to get to know you better."

"Does he think I'm a drug dealer?"

"Justin, there's no nice way to say this, but: No one with any sense would believe you were a drug dealer."

"Except when I'm acting, I wouldn't want them to think that."

"Well, when you're acting, you can convince people of anything. But he knows you, and he's happy I ran away with you that day." There's a pause. "So am I."

"Me, too," Justin answers.


End file.
